Berkshire College of Agriculture

The creation of a new college sports hall and energy centre incorporating a range of sustainable features.

Project

The campus sits in a conservation area and historical parkland. Beard undertook the demolition of the college’s existing sports hall, and the construction of a larger modern sports facility with changing facilities, a physiotherapy suite and classrooms in the same location. The scheme also involved Beard building a biomass-fuelled Energy Centre a few hundred metres from the sports hall providing hot and cold water for the campus. Both buildings incorporate a range of sustainable features such as natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, green roofing and cedar cladding.

We achieved BREEAM very good on this project.

Challenges

Complicated design and integration of new services distribution and energy centre into exisiting college services

Trenching and installation of heating mains and services around a live and busy college campus meant that close liaison with college staff and good communicatins were essential

Co-ordination of construction and associated traffic within campus and adjacent to live childrens’ nursery.

A tight programme and strict budget meant careful value engineering and buildable detailing of the many differing roofing and cladding elements of the sports hall. All of this was hindered by the wettest winter on record

Solutions

Full integration with the novated design team was essential to maintain programme budget and buildability.

Careful on-site planning, adaption of techniques and the team’s can-do attitude minimised the effects of the rain and flooding experienced over the winter of 2013-14.

Ongoing liaison on a daily basis with the college facilities and maintenance teams ensured successful management of logistics on site and the design and installation of the heating mains and works to live college services.

“The new Sports Centre at BCA is a long-awaited facility which will allow for the growth of our sports and outdoor education department. It offers a modern learning environment with its range of teaching classrooms, sports hall and gym and the design is in keeping with our portfolio of new buildings across the campus.”